Massive stars in colliding wind systems: the GLAST perspective

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential of detecting high-energy gamma-ray emissions from massive star binary systems with colliding winds using the GLAST observatory, based on detailed emission models and system distributions.

Contribution

It provides a population study predicting the number of detectable colliding wind systems in gamma-rays with GLAST, utilizing recent detailed emission models and catalog data.

Findings

Predicted maximum number of LAT detections among massive colliding wind binaries.

Expected observable characteristics of these systems at LAT energies.

Assessment of their contribution to unidentified gamma-ray sources.

Abstract

Colliding winds of massive stars in binary systems are considered as candidate sites of high-energy non-thermal photon emission. They are already among the suggested counterparts for a few individual unidentified EGRET sources, but may constitute a detectable source population for the GLAST observatory. The present work investigates such population study of massive colliding wind systems at high-energy gamma-rays. Based on the recent detailed model (Reimer et al. 2006) for non-thermal photon production in prime candidate systems, we unveil the expected characteristics of this source class in the observables accessible at LAT energies. Combining the broadband emission model with the presently cataloged distribution of such systems and their individual parameters allows us to conclude on the expected maximum number of LAT-detections among massive stars in colliding wind binary systems.